It’s been 19 years since Verron Haynes became a Super Bowl champion. After playing a year at Western Kentucky and then walking on to Georgia, Verron became a captain for the Bulldogs, a fifth-round pick and eventually a Super Bowl Champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2006, when Verron won the Super Bowl, his son, Justice Haynes, was only 1 year old.
19 years later, Verron often finds himself gazing around Justice’s room. As he enters the time capsule of his son’s entire football career, what always catches his attention is the walls covered in sticky notes.
On each sticky note is a dream that Justice had at some point, dreams from when he was playing football at Blessed Trinity Catholic High School to dreams he has now as a junior running back for the Michigan football team. But Verron and Justice see them beyond just dreams.
“One of the things that I always preached was, it’s only a dream till you put it on paper — then it becomes a goal,” Verron told The Michigan Daily. “It was encouraging to see that when I went into his room, and it’s like, I look around and it’s so many sticky notes.”
Growing up watching his father play on the biggest stage in football, Justice always had high aspirations. Today, when Verron glances at the sticky notes plastered all over the wall, some of Justice’s goals have either already been actualized — like graduating from college in three years — or are on the current checklist.
But Justice will never be content because, just like his father before him, Justice often chooses the hard path because of the innate competitiveness his father instilled in him.
“That’s something my dad instilled in me, never be outworked,” Justice told The Daily. “Have a certain confidence, swagger about yourself, and no one can take that away from you. And I feel like when you’re prepared and you work hard, you can have that swagger, because you’re confident in your abilities, you’re confident in what you just produced.”
Photo courtesy of Verron Haynes.
That competitiveness to never be outworked isn’t the only thing he got from his father. From walk-on to Super Bowl champion, Verron continues to drive home principles of work ethic, strong morals and a loving community, all of which Justice continues to foster. But in many ways, Justice has exceeded what his father has taught him by approaching every single day the exact same way.
Controlling the controllable by attacking each day with the same routine and competitiveness has lifted Justice to where he is today. And it’s the precise routine that allows him to check off some of those goals on his sticky notes.
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Every day starts with at least eight hours of sleep.
In the morning, Justice always exchanges texts with his dad. The relationship Justice and his father have was shaped by years of coaching, until about eighth grade when it transitioned into Verron being one of his biggest supporters and being dad in the bleachers.
Having a Super Bowl-winning father, Justice was instantly around the game of football. Despite the proximity to the game, though, Verron wanted to make sure Justice started playing because he wanted to play and not because his dad played.
Photo courtesy of Verron Haynes.
So Verron didn’t pressure Justice to do anything, and initially Justice wasn’t super committed. Until one specific game when didn’t play the way he wanted to, he lost and decided to flip the switch.
“He might have had a bad game, didn’t have the results that he wanted, but then he understood that he had to put in the work,” Verron said. “… So he came down to the gym, and he’s like, ‘All right, cool. I’m committed.’ So at that point, I knew he had gotten somewhere and got over a hurdle, a hump, and the light bulb came on in him.”
They both hit the ground running and got to work. On the field, Verron strictly kept it to the fundamentals for Justice, but also passed down all of the preparation and mental tactics he had used. Then when it came time to pass Justice on to high-school coaches, they would shape him into an even better football player and young man — and Verron could now stick to being dad.
Taking those next steps, Verron and Justice’s entire family started to form his football support network. Verron would be the first one at games to watch warmups and would pray with Justice before every game, giving him advice when he asked for it.
“I’m very close to my family,” Justice said. “Not even just my dad because we played the same sport but my mom, just the way she pushes me. I mean, my mom, she’s my rock. My grandmothers, they’re my rock the way they push me.”
Photo courtesy of Verron Haynes.
From his dad who had a direct impact on his football career, and now texts him every morning, to his mom and grandmothers that push him, Justice has a uniquely strong family support network that he can go to whenever he needs, and has been since he started playing.
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After getting eight hours of sleep and texting his dad, Justice fuels his body by getting hydrated, eating and stretching before working out, a process that Justice claims takes an hour and a half before he even begins his lifting.
The same preparation Justice does before a workout has its own rendition before games — even back in high school.
Photo courtesy of Verron Haynes.
Photo courtesy of Bryant Appling.
Justice started his high school career at Blessed Trinity. His freshman season, they won a state championship before change struck almost immediately. Long-time Blessed Trinity coach Tim McFarlin retired, the pandemic hit and the success of the program simply wasn’t the same caliber.
So Justice, as someone always looking for the most competitive and difficult environment, knew it was time for his own personal change as well.
He looked for a high school that allowed early enrollment to college but also had strong preparation for the next level. That made committing to Buford High School and playing under coach Bryant Appling — whose reputation is sending players to the next level — an easy choice.
“He treated us like men, like how coaches treat us here in college,” Justice said of Appling and Buford High School. “Yes, you’re having fun, but at the end of the day, you have a job to do. And that’s how he runs the program. … We’re all competing every day. You got the elite of the elite. At Buford, we had elite guys. So I feel like that really prepared me as well.”
Photo courtesy of Bryant Appling.
Appling didn’t give Justice the reins right away, but after observing just how eager and hungry Justice was for that competitive environment, it was an easy decision to put Justice on the field. And when it came time for the first game, immediately Justice made his preparation and work ethic that much more apparent.
“He always had his notebook from the week, every note he took in meetings,” Appling told The Daily. “He would go find a quiet spot in the locker room … going over his notes. I mean, from the first game that he played with us all the way to the All-American Bowl, when I coached him in San Antonio, he did the same exact thing.”
Photo courtesy of Bryant Appling.
At every level and in every scenario Justice has the same approach — from his daily routine, to his pre-workout regimen, to the way he practices, to his pregame rituals. And with a five-star recruiting ranking, Justice was focused on preparing his game for the next level.
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After getting his workout in, it’s time for Justice to put on the pads and play football. Much like every other aspect of his life, when Justice goes to practice that instinctual competitiveness comes out.
“I’m an ultra competitor,” Justice said. “I hate to lose. My dad used to always joke around with me, when I was a little kid he’d be like, ‘You got to let your sisters win sometimes.’ … Because when I would play with my sister, say we were playing basketball, I wouldn’t let her win.”
So, when it came time to decide where to go to school, Justice initially picked Alabama. He saw the opportunity to work under coach Nick Saban and enter the most challenging and competitive environment with someone that won’t go easy on anybody.
Photo courtesy of Verron Haynes.
But change struck again. With Saban retiring and the program going through a transition, Justice realized his football career would need to take a new trajectory to keep the same goal of being challenged every single day. And that brought him to Michigan.
The final thing before starting his end of day routine is watching film. And just like with everything else, Justice watches it every day to keep it consistent.
“The kid watches film with me every night after practice,” Michigan running back coach Tony Alford said Wednesday. “He sits with me and watches the tape and goes over it and he’s in this building an awful lot, so he studies the game.”
Having been recruited by Alford in high school, Justice knew what he brought to the table and it was just a matter of matching the Wolverines’ identity with his own. And the choice seemed clear.
“Once we got on campus, Justice, his mom and I looked at each other and were like, ‘I don’t see anything touching this,’ ” Verron said. “Nothing compared after that.”
***
Now, it’s game time. Saturday against New Mexico will be Justice’s first game donning the maize and blue. Although Justice’s road has taken many turns throughout his high school and college careers, his approach, support network and routine has kept him grounded.
If he revisited his childhood bedroom, Justice would probably be able to take some of the sticky notes off of his wall — but there are probably still many left that he’s working towards. He believes Michigan is the best place for him to achieve those goals, and he’ll always do it his way.
“I feel like it’s my ability and my freedom of will to go out there and do everything in my power to possibly do (control the controllables) and then let the chips fall where they fall — I don’t ever want to leave that up to chance,” Justice said “ … I want to go down as one of the greatest to ever play this game. So in order for me to do that, I have to do everything in my power that I need to do and handle business.”
Alum Cole Carrico/DAILY. Buy this photo. " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1" alt="Justice Haynes faces reporters." class="wp-image-555177" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?w=2400&ssl=1 2400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1 780w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/cfc.FBC\_.SpringGame.04.19.25.0346.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px">
Alum Cole Carrico/DAILY. Buy this photo.
Whether it be a dream coming to reality or a goal on a sticky note coming true, Justice will never leave his present or future up to chance — instead, it will be a product of rigorous routine, competitiveness and controlling the controllables.
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